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Show NEWS BEHIND THE NEWS I i Written for The Telegram By Ray Tucker By IRA BENNETT Vice Ray Tucker WASHINGTON Back of the fresh complications that suddenly developed in congress last week were individual and party maneuvers maneu-vers for position in anticipation of the campaign of 1938. But tha friction was not all political. Deep economic problems affecting various vari-ous sections had a bearing upon the tug-of-war between President Roosevelt and congress. Nobody dared to move a fixed time for adjournment for fear that filibusters would kill off important im-portant legislation. Chairmen in charge of leading bills jockeyed for position. Chairman Chair-man O'Connor of the house rules committee held the key to several vital moves. The farm bloc induced in-duced or forced him to hold up the wages-and-hours bill temporarily. The housing bill, wages-and-hours bill, tax avoidance bill, reorganisation, re-organisation, and, above all, crop legislation hung In the balance while F. D. R. calmly put forth his ultimatum "no crop control, no loans on cotton." Experience in similar tests convinced seasoned sea-soned lawmakers that F. D. R. would achieve most of his objectives. objec-tives. A cross-section of political opinion opin-ion indicated strong conviction that the closing days of congress are being utilized with supreme skill by F. D. R. In shaping his plana for next year's campaign. As to 1940, Impartial opinion avoided predictions, but took note of the growing movement for re-nomination re-nomination of F. D. R. in spite of the antithird term tradition. Disguising the great defeat over the supreme court issue by stirring stir-ring up a furor over farm legislation. legisla-tion. F. D. R. was credited with shrewd strategy in furthering his plans for 19.10. Capture of another an-other huge majority in congress Is necessarily his first task. The next session second of the seventy-fifth must make a better record than this first session, it's generally agreed. If the elections of next year are to repeat the triumph tri-umph of 1936. Unless supreme court decisions In the meantime should stir him up, politicians believe that F. D. R. will refrain next winter from pressing a demand for revamping the court. - This session mustn't end till F. D. R. has forced through both labor and farm legislation that'a now the current opinion. Upon those great blocs of voting ' strength depends his control of congress, and upon control of congress con-gress depends much of his record as president. The fate of his social reform program is involved. The main obstacle in F. D. R.'s path concerning farm legislation haa been failure of farm organisations organisa-tions and leaders to agree upon a farm bill. This fact haa been seized upon by F. D. R.'s political adversaries to block other legislation legisla-tion desired by bim. The showdown show-down has come in tha last, few days. Despite his damaged prestige resulting from defeat on the court issue, F. D. R. retains a new deal following on other matters and will hold this following, of course, at the next session. Errors In labor la-bor and farm legislation can be overtaken next winter in time to enter the 1938 campaign. Representative Snell of New York, leader of the G. O. P. in the house, has cooperated with G. O. P. senators in avoiding a party fight against President Roosevelt on major questions. At the same time he haa been on the lookout for opportunities to harry the enemy'a flank. Under Snell's persistent prodding. prod-ding. F. D. R. was forced Into the undignified position of appearing to have signed his name to papers without knowing what he was doing. These papers turned up as pages in a Democratic national committee propaganda book for which government contractora and other industrial concerns were asked to pay $250 per copy. The committee and the printer-canvasser printer-canvasser seem to have "split the difference." Alleged strong-arm methods by the canvassers brought forth the charge that industry in-dustry was bludgeoned into financing fi-nancing the Democratic national committee under the veiled threat that the "government" would make reprisals unless the books were bought. A pussyfooting letter from Attorney At-torney General Cummings to Leader Snell has failed to halt the latter. He demands an investigation, investiga-tion, but there are few signs of any general public interest. G. O. P. Leader McNary obtains leave to return home to Oregon. His party colleagues are fond of McNary, but they say privately that the interests of the U. O. P. will not suffer by his absence. They think he has been too friendly friend-ly with the enemy. But they admit ad-mit that he did stand up in the court fight. McNary knew of this criticism. 1 ' His reply was that much of the Roosevelt program was favored by the G. O. P. and that nothing was to be gained by futile obstructive obstruc-tive tactics. The sixteen so-called Republicans dwindled to seven or eight on crucial roll calls. Republicans in congress mostly agree with Jim Farley in expecting expect-ing Senator Vandenberg to be the G. O. P. candidate in 1940. But not all of them are enthusiastic about it. One ray of O. O. P. hope Is seen In the New York City mayoralty contest. That hope is that F. D. R. and the new deal will be rebuffed re-buffed in the old home town as a curtain-raiser for 1938. Realists just laugh. Much curiosity among foreign diplomats here concerning the administration's ad-ministration's relations with Brazil. Bra-zil. Apparently Secretary Hull is carrying peace papers in one hand and warships In the other. True, the warships lent to Brazil are little, semiobsolete destroyers, but it's a gesture that the diplomatic corps would like to have explained. ex-plained. Is the U. S. to lend war vessels to other Latin-American countries? Or is Hull bent upon aiding Brazil to ward off an unseen un-seen danger? The move Is linked with the loan of t60.000.000 to Brazil and Brazil's effort to divert trade from Germany to this country. Latin-American Latin-American imaginations picture nazi penetration of Portuguese-speaking Portuguese-speaking Brazil through" dictator-managed dictator-managed Portugal. Brazil's "naval force," augmented augment-ed by the decrepit U. S. destroyers, destroy-ers, makes a ludicrous showing. Yet foreign observers note that an American naval officer turns up at Rio to assist in revamping Brazil's naval defenses. Privately, Private-ly, Argentine embassy staff men are making sarcastic comments. Notes: Ambassador Dodd returns re-turns from Berlin just as Germany's Ger-many's maneuvers in Brazil attract at-tract attention . . . China is striking strik-ing snags in negotiating a $100.-000,000 $100.-000,000 loan backed by England. . . . When Americans began to produce synthetic camphor and menthol, Japan, chief supplier, cut prices to one-quarter . . . Work on flood control projects will start In a big way soon, with $45,000,000 allotted as .a beginner. . . . Total appropriations at this session of congress top $9,000,000,-000. $9,000,000,-000. (Copyright, 19S7. for The Telegram) |
